Everybody's a tough guy until the holiday characters show up
Boy, can I relate to Kenzo and Kaori Hart during the holidays
When I saw the Instagram video of Kenzo and Kaori, Kevin Hart’s two youngest kids, crying their eyes out at 18-year-old Heaven Leigh Hart dressed as the Grinch, I cracked up laughing and said, “I can relate.” Getting past why Santa Claus is definitely on a diet (but Hendrix Hart did a great job owning the role), Heaven was a wee bit too good as The Grinch in “How the Grinch Stole Christmas.” All I did was mess my hair up and put on a Grinch sweatshirt. She committed and put on the entire getup to entertain her siblings, gangly arms and sneaky walk included.
Once they stopped crying, at least Kenzo was a good enough sport about Heaven scaring the Christmas cheer out of him to take a still-in-a-panic photo — with her lurking nearby. But all of this takes me back to the day my mother scared the Halloween spirit out of me after I asked her to make me a witch for my third-favorite holiday (next to Christmas and Veteran’s Day).
I don’t know why I like to scare myself silly, but this has been an ongoing thing since I was a child. I only ride in the first row of roller coasters. I thought Disney World was lame because there weren’t enough Six Flags-style roller coasters, and I couldn’t care less about arcade games and winning prizes. I used to constantly follow my mother to a random suburban haunted house, usually with a couple of my cousins and my childhood best friend. I always decorate for Halloween. And I have found delight in watching my dog try to fight Halloween decorations.
But the one time it was not all good for me was when I asked my mother to make me a witch for Halloween during my brother’s birthday/Halloween party. I don’t know what I expected. I sat there happily waiting for the end results.